"I CAN'T imagine myself ever having sex. I just wouldn't be comfortable with it. Even kissing I find weird."

These arent the words of a painfully shy teenager, or someone who has undergone a traumatic experience, but of Michael Dore, a normal, happy man in his twenties who simply has no interest in sex - because he's asexual.

Michael lives in Coventry and has just completed a maths PhD at Warwick University.Hes not ill, introverted or still working out that hes gay, he's simply asexual - a person who does not experience sexual attraction or has no interest in sex.

A growing number of people are identifying as asexuals in the UK and worldwide, and studies estimate that around one per cent of the human population could fall into this category.

Asexuals are different from celibates people who feel sexual attraction but choose to abstain from it.

And some asexuals do experience sexual arousal or romantic attraction towards others, but have no urge to actually engage in sex.

Yet sex is such a big deal in our culture most of us never even consider that for some people it's just not of interest or even something quite disgusting.

Mark Carrigan, a doctoral researcher from Warwick University's Department of Sociology, has been conducting sociological research into asexuality.

"Ultimately, no one knows why some people are like this and some aren't," he says. "Very little research has been done."

"The issue is What makes asexuals different? I think personally there may be some biological factors. I think like homosexuality or heterosexuality its the way you're born and not something you learn or choose.

"I've interviewed lots of people for my research and heard some harrowing stories.

"There are people who've been through 30 years of therapy or even had electric shock treatment in a bid to cure themselves.

"Thankfully, because of the internet, its easier being asexual nowadays. You can find information and like-minded people quite easily online."

In 2001 in the US, AVEN, the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network, was founded to raise awareness and create a supportive community for asexuals.

AVEN defines an asexual as someone who does not experience sexual attraction.

But within the asexual community are many different attitudes and approaches to sex.

Some people identifying as asexuals do experience arousal but still have no interest in sex with another person. Some are largely indifferent to sex and will take part in order to please their partner. Others are horrified or disgusted even by the idea of sex.

Many asexuals do wish to have a partner and be involved in a loving relationship, but would prefer to do it without a sexual element.

Mark Carrigan says that many asexuals grow up feeling alientated from a society which places a great burden on sexual exploration as a sign of self exploration and growing up.

Mark McClemont, a 46-year-old scientific glassblower and member of AVEN, describes the moment he realised he was asexual as an epiphany.

"It was October 14th, 1994," he says, "and I saw a newspaper article in the Guardian about asexual people.

"I just thought: That's it. That's who I am.

"In the early 1990s I had became involved in the gay scene. I find men attractive so I assumed I was gay. I thought maybe if I had sex it would all make sense to me. But it didnt work out. I dont actually get sexually aroused so Im not even capable of having sex.

"Once I realised that, I knew I'd probably never have a relationship. I have in the past and I was in love once but as my partners realised sex wouldn't be a factor the relationships soon finished. It was hurtful but I've learned to deal with it."

For many sexual people, this may seem a distressing element of asexuality - the difficulty in finding a partner who is willing to live without sex.

Yet plenty of asexuals do form long lasting relationships with other people, who themselves may or may not be asexual.

Many say that one of the benefits of their orientation is the freedom it allows them.

"When I told my brother I was asexual, he just said: 'You lucky thing'," Mark recalls.

"I've got the freedom that people who are married or parents don't have. For all the wonderful things relationships bring there are also all the problems with break-ups, arguments and responsibility. I don't have any of that."

For Tessa Barratt, a 23-year-old Warwick University student who lives in Leamington, there's a curiosity about what her life would be like if she werent asexual.

"Sometimes when I'm lonely, I think if I could take a pill and be like everyone else, I would. It might be easier. But often I enjoy not having those distractions that my sexual friends seem to have. It can be quite liberating, I think.

"I'm somewhere between not bothered and repulsed by sex.

"I've made out with people and stuff but I just don't click on that level. It seems a very mechanical exercise, but I got used to it after a while and was able to enjoy the fact that I was making the other person happy. I don't know if that would maybe happen if I tried having sex.

"I'm romantically inclined so if I could find somebody who was in love with me and happy not to have sex that would be great. But finding the right person is hard enough whatever your orientation.

"My close friends and family know I'm asexual but it's not something I shout about. The fact I'm not actually having any sex of any kind means a lot of people just don't find it that interesting.

"There are some people who just don't believe in asexuality. That's annoying. Gay people had similar fights getting people to accept the way they were and I'm hoping more awareness of asexuality will lead to more acceptance and understanding.

"We are bombarded with sex in this society. For asexuals it's like a constant noise in the background and you just have to tune out of it."

Michael too says he might choose to be different if he could.

"I don't know what it's like to be sexual. If I could have chosen to be sexual from the start I think I might, just to be part of the group.

"But if I could flick a switch now I'd say no because I'm happy with this life and who I am.

"It's only over the last year that I've started to consider having a relationship. I've had opportunities with sexual people but I feel in a relationship its important to satisfy your partner so I'd only want to be with another asexual.

"I used to feel a bit ashamed of the way I was. [In our culture] you're often judged by how much sex you're having.

"But in a sense I've always known that I don't feel sexual attraction for others."

And when he says: "Sex, and even kissing, is probably not the kind of thing anyone would want to do if there wasn't a sexual reason for it," it kind of makes sense.

Mark McClemont agrees: "Sex is just biology to me. I'm not upset or outraged by it. I probably have less hang-ups about sex than many sexual people."

Because asexuality is such a little-known orientation, many people will not be aware that there is a name for the way they feel.

Identifcation of asexuality is quite rare, says Carrigan.

"Often people don't use the term. The majority of people I've spoken to think they're weird because they don't experience sexual desire. They feel rejected and excluded from their peers and from society.

"Commonly people will feel it's a problem until they hear of asexuality as a concept. Then they usually feel a lot more comfortable about it.

"Everyone knows what it is to be gay now so more people feel able to come out. Hopefully we will see that happen more over the next 20 to 40 years for asexuals.

"I'm not asexual myself but doing this research has made me realise how oversexed our society is. I think there are wider cultural issues we should be looking at."

Asexuality: the facts

AVEN is working to have asexuality officially recognised by the medical profession in Britain and the US a person who does not experience sexual attraction may be diagnosed as having hypoactive sexual desire disorder, which is classed as a sexual dysfunction.

A number of terms to describe people's romantic orientation are used in the asexual community. They include: aromantic: a lack of romantic attraction towards anyone of either sex; biromantic: romantic attraction towards both sexes; panromantic: romantic attraction towards any gender or lack of gender; and polyromantic: romantic attraction towards more than one gender or sex but do not wish to identify as biromantic as it implies that there are only two genders or sexes.

Studies of animals suggest that asexuality in mammals is not particularly uncommon.

The term asexual can also cover people who have been rendered incapable of having or enjoying sex, through medication or old age.

Asexuality is generally accepted as being different from having an extremely low libido (sex drive). AVEN's website is at www.asexuality.org.

Friends without benefits:

PLATONIC Partners, set up by Suzie King in 2007, is for people seeking relationships without sex.

About half of its 3,000 members are asexual.

Suzie, 55, says: "It's nice for people to meet others who aren't always after it. Some want romantic relationships but many just like to be in touch with like-minded people.

"Two of our members actually got married - a platonic marriage.

"Asexuality and celibacy aren't really talked about because they're just not trendy. But there's a kind of underground sexuality out there in the same way that in the past homosexuality wasn't discussed.

"I want to bring it out into the open we're not all the same, people are all different and its time we were treated as normal, not underground."